Looking back at DDR3 price in November 2008, the month in which Core i7 debuted, a 6GB tri-channel pack of 1,333MHz RAM would have cost you around £160, whereas a 4GB pack of quality DDR2-1,066, admittedly smaller in capacity and slower in pure speed, was yours for just around £55. DDR3's time would come, but it wasn't in 2008.
Prices for both DDR2 and DDR3 have been dropped quite steadily in the last five months, such that a big-name 4GB pack of DDR2-1,066 is now available for around £40 - it's almost rude not to buy.
Perusing the web looking at general prices, Corsair and Scan are upping the ante as far as DDR3 is concerned, because you can purchase a 6GB pack of Corsair DDR3-1,333 - TR3X6G1333C9 - memory for just £62.09 on its Today Only page, including delivery*
Sold as a tri-channel pack and optimised for Core i7 chips, the DDR3-1,333 memory runs with 9-9-9-24 timings. Full details are available here.
It's the first time we've seen quality DDR3 sold at roughly £10 per 1GB, kind of matching DDR2's pricing.
The effect of cheapening DDR3 is to bring Intel's Core i7 and other DDR3-compatible chips into the enthusiast's eye. What's more, system integrators should pick up on the pricing and release mid-range boxes - say, £599 - with DDR3 memory instead of DDR2, especially if AMD's AM3 chips take off.
Ebuyer, too, has the memory at a tasty price of £63.48, including free standard five-day delivery.
Bottom line: the cost of DDR3 is quickly becoming a non-issue in the overall purchase process, especially if it keeps dropping at the present rate, so there's never been a better time to consider your next purchase with the faster memory in mind. Let's hope motherboard manufacturers follow suit and drop board prices, as well.
*As always, UK-based HEXUS.community discussion forum members will benefit from the SCAN2HEXUS Free Shipping initiative, which will save you a further few pounds plus also top-notch, priority customer service and technical support backed up by the SCANcare@HEXUS forum.
